00:00We're at a tea farm in Hualong village of Hsinchu County, where almost everyone here is a part of Taiwan's
00:05haka community.
00:06Yes, that's right. Like many of Taiwan's ethnic groups, the haka have their own language, culture, and importantly for us,
00:12cuisine.
00:13Well, lucky for you, I know someone who's trying to keep kaka cuisine alive during Lunar New Year.
00:17Hey, is that him there?
00:18Oh, hi, Lavan!
00:21Hey, nice to meet you!
00:22Nice to meet you!
00:30This is Feng Yao Liang, or who we casually refer to as Laoban or Boss.
00:36And he's lived in this haka village his whole life.
00:39I grew up here since I was born.
00:41From my father and father to my parents, I grew up here.
00:49I grew up here since I was born.
00:50I grew up here since I was born with my parents.
00:53I grew up here, and I grew up here.
00:54I grew up here, and I grew up here.
00:56I grew up here, and I grew up here.
00:57I grew up here, and I grew up here.
00:59For decades, haka villagers here made their living growing tea.
01:04But as temperatures rose, the village switched to citrus farming.
01:09Many tea farms and processing plants closed down, leaving historic buildings in this haka community abandoned.
01:15The tea farms were closed.
01:18We didn't have to sit down.
01:19After the first thing on the garden,
01:21we were able to take the food.
01:21Because the guests came to Luokeng,
01:22we couldn't take a休憩 place.
01:24We couldn't take food.
01:25We couldn't take food.
01:25So we thought, ah, the tea farms were the best.
01:30Because the tea farms were the best.
01:32We could take the food.
01:34We could keep the food.
01:34And we could keep the food.
01:37Now, his restaurant prepares traditional haka dishes using local ingredients,
01:41such as kumquat and citrus sunki, from farms like this one.
01:46Actually, we have a lot of food.
01:47But we don't have any food.
01:49But we want to use the food.
01:52We also use the food.
01:54We also use the food.
01:56We also use the food.
01:56We also use the food.
01:57We also use the food.
01:58You can go to the food.
02:01Oh, I'm excited to see how you use them.
02:03Yeah, and I'm hungry.
02:04Should we go to the restaurant?
02:06Let's do it.
02:11Our journey to explore haka lunar new year food begins with four special dishes.
02:16Chicken with kumquat sauce.
02:18Tandering leaves with pork intestine.
02:21Pickled mustard green duck.
02:24And braised pork knuckle with bamboo shoots.
02:27So, Laoban, how are these dishes special for the haka people?
02:53The citrus flavor really comes through.
02:56It's stronger than most sauces I've had before.
02:58It's really good.
02:59Okay, now let's try this tangerine leaves with pork intestine.
03:32It's very, as they say, Q.
03:34Very chewy, kind of a bouncy texture to it.
03:37It's really good.
03:40It was just the perfect balance of the leaves and the crunchiness from the leaves and the chewiness from the
03:46intestine.
04:08And the sourness that Chris just mentioned comes from the pickling of these vegetables.
04:14Why is pickling such a special cooking process for haka people?
04:22They're delle b alumni.
04:24It's so good.
04:26So here we are all whipped their sharks.
04:28It's real.
04:29And in the middle…
04:31Why are starches and butter beans?
04:34It doesn't have any flavor and not моей cream
04:38No pork belly.
04:39It's EKIE
04:47Ooh, I'm so excited.
05:02A bit different if you've ever had German pork knuckle.
05:05It's not crispy like that.
05:07It's much softer, but very delicious.
05:09And mixes very well with the bamboo shoots,
05:13which are also very soft.
05:15Right, and the knuckle is braced to perfection.
05:18After the feast, it was time for a quick hike
05:21to burn off the calories.
05:27We're at a temple that sits on the top of this mountain
05:30in Hualong village.
05:32And I heard that this temple is really important
05:34for the local Hualong villagers.
05:36Is that right, Lao Ban?
05:45And when it comes to the holidays,
05:45we will always be able to celebrate
05:47and pray for peace for a year and for a long time.
05:50Tell us a little bit about Hualong.
05:53What does he represent for the Hakka people?
05:56The Hualong village is a local village.
05:59It's a village village.
06:01It's a village village.
06:03There are other villages,
06:04and there are other villages everywhere.
06:05There are many other villages,
06:06so theagoan village village is a landowner.
06:09So the landowner is also a landowner.
06:11Here in the village of Hualong village,
06:12it's currently around 80 people living here.
06:14The landowner is a landowner and the landowner is a 100% place.
06:16The vast number of buogong shrines in Hualong
06:19shows the central role the deity plays
06:21in the Hualong village.
06:23Watching over this century-old village
06:25through changes in climate, industry, and generations.
06:28Much like the traditions and the dishes,
06:30Fung Yaoliang is working to preserve.
06:33Devin Tsai, Joseph Wu, Chris Gorin and Irene Lin for Taiwan Plus.
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